Representing Clients Throughout Northern California
500 Sansome Street, 8th floor, San Francisco CA 94111

Trust, Estate, and Probate Disputes

San Francisco based Michael B. Bassi, A Law Corporation, has earned a reputation for providing exceptional legal representation to clients involved in trust, estate, and probate disputes.  Our attorneys represent the interests of beneficiaries, executors, trustees, and conservators, including cases where the fiduciary is accused of breach of fiduciary duty.

Firm principal, Michael B. Bassi, has extensive experience in this area, including representation involving complex San Francisco estate planning documents such as family limited partnerships, family corporations, and estate plans involving multiple trusts.  For clients seeking to avoid litigation, Mr. Bassi also has extensive experience in trust and estate mediation, and successfully settled litigation of multimillion dollar estates involving both domestic and an international wills and trusts.  In addition, attorney Christy J. Styer has an extensive background in the administration of trusts and estates, including experience in taxation that has provided her with significant expertise regarding the important tax issues that inevitably arise during the course of trust and estate administration and trust and probate disputes.

Probate and Estate Disputes

Once a will has been admitted to probate, several types of disputes may arise.  Often, estate and probate, or "inheritance disputes," involve a contest or challenge of the will itself.  Questions may arise about the validity of the will or whether a relative who was left out of the will is entitled to any of the deceased person's estate.  We have significant experience handling a wide variety of probate and estate disputes, including disputes involving:

  • Undue Influence and Duress
  • Incapacity
  • Will Interpretation
  • Exploitation and Financial Elder Abuse
  • Distribution of Assets
  • Improper Execution or Revocation of a Will or Other Estate Planning Document
  • Fraud

Trust Disputes

As the use of family trusts as estate planning devices has increased, so has the number of disputes arising out of these trusts.  Trustees have a fiduciary duty to act in the best interest of the beneficiaries named in the trust.  Our estate planning law firm in San Francisco has experience handling the wide variety of related disputes, including:

  • Trust Validity Issues
  • Trust Interpretation
  • Breach of Trustee's Fiduciary Duty
  • Disputes between Trustees and Beneficiaries

Disputes Involving No Contest Clauses

Effective January 1, 2010, a new law takes effect in California concerning the enforceability of no contest clauses in wills, trusts and other estate planning documents. No contest clauses are frequently used in estate planning documents to discourage disgruntled beneficiaries from challenging the validity or the dispositive provisions of a will or trust.  This new law significantly changes the procedure for challenges to documents containing no contest clauses, and also defines the situations under which no contest clauses will be deemed enforceable.

Seek Experienced Legal Representation

If you are involved in a probate, estate, or trust dispute, it is important to seek representation from an attorney experienced in these complex matters and familiar with the most recent developments in this dynamic and continually evolving area of law.  To schedule a consultation to discuss your case, contact Michael B. Bassi, A Law Corporation, today.


LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbel

Attorney Advertising. This web site is designed for general information only. The information presented at this site should not be construed to be formal legal advice nor the formation of a lawyer/client relationship. [ Site Map ] [ Bookmark Us ]